Atari Flashback Classics at PAX West 2016

Kids these days have it easy. Back in the day there weren’t no interweb multiplayer or achievings or vidja game conventions. No! There were cartridge games, and there were arcade cabinets. Next month, 100 classic Atari 2600 and arcade cabinet games are coming to a console near you, as authentic as can be.

October will see the launch of the first two volumes of Atari Flashback Classics, which each contain fifty classic Atari games. Nine arcade games and forty-one 2600 games will be in each, and some are even (sorta) new. Atari Flashback Classics contains games made in the days of arcades and the 2600, but never released to the public. So even if you were an arcade hound, you might find something here that you’ve never tried before. When you choose a game, you’ll see a 3D render of either the original cabinet or the cartridge, and each 2600 game comes with a scan of the original game manual. Additionally, games will let you choose between one of three difficulties, rather than just the classic difficulty.

Volume 1 will contain games such as Pong, various Realsports titles, Centipede, Lunar Lander, and Sprint Master. Volume 2 will contain Asteroids, Breakout, Championship Soccer, Video Pinball, and Secret Quest. Future volumes of Atari Flashback Classics will contain games from newer Atari consoles released after the 2600. The developers also hinted at maybe getting some third party arcade games for future volumes, but couldn’t talk about it any further. The first two volumes of Atari Flashback Classics will launch at a price of $19.99. It is currently set to be a North American release only.

Are you a fan of classic games? Will you pick up Atari Flashback Classics?